A typical deck lid for a trunk of a vehicle will have a latch which is operable by a key cylinder. Operation of the key cylinder will rotate a lever which is linked to a release pawl of the latch. Rotation of the release pawl will release the ratchet or detent fork which grips a keeper of a striker plate on the body of the vehicle, thus opening the deck lid.
Optionally, the vehicle can be provided with an inside release handle which is operable from within the vehicle to allow the operator to open the trunk while remaining in the vehicle.
Still further, the vehicle can be provided with an actuator operably connected to the latch. The actuator has a receiver for receiving remotely transmitted signals and responsively rotates the release pawl to open the deck lid.
A conventional latch assembly, as illustrated in FIG. 1, will have the locking cylinder 12 connected to the release pawl 14 of a latch 16 by a flexible cable assembly 18 or a fixed link with some form of lost motion capabilities to accommodate the movement of the pawl as it ratchets with the detent fork 20 upon closing of the deck lid.
A cable assembly usually consists of a cable 22, a balled end 24, a ferrule 26 and a cable end 28. The pawl 14 must have a cooperative fitting 30 to receive the balled end 24 of the cable 22. The housing of the latch 16 must have a tab 32 for mounting the ferrule 26, through which the cable 22 extends, for controlling the angle of attack between the cable 22 and the pawl 14. The key cylinder lever 34 requires a clip 36 to attach the cable 22.
The cable assembly of the prior art has proven to be an effective operating connection between the locking cylinder 12 and the latch 16. However, the cable assembly requires considerable labor to assemble and then install. Further, the cable assembly has a number of parts, all of which are susceptible to failure and malfunction.